Proxy server slows internet

I'm a network admin for a high school and I have just installed a proxy server program called software 602 on an old server (Dell powerEdge 400) It has 500 mb ram and a pentium III processor. It works quite well to block internet sites but it slows the internet waaay down. I actually have this server between the internet and the entire school but I've only configured the student profile to use it as a proxy server. No one else's internet is slowed down by simply passing through this server, only those using it to filter internet access. Is there any way around this or do proxy servers always slow the internet down?

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Try unchecking all proxy services on the 602 server and then turn on one feature at a time - just make sure you alter the test client's poxy settings to reflect the server's changes each time. It could be that one of the options in the 602 software is causing a significant processing delay.

If that doesn't help find the culprit, try disabling the content filter and testing again. Content filtering may introduce undesirable latency if your have too many rules too.

Best bet is to run performance counters while all this is happening to see if your server hardware is up to spec - even though your system is above 602' system requirements. Do you have any other services running on the server besides 602 LAN suite?

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Lime,
I unchecked "use local proxy cache" and that helped a little. I think you're onto something about the system not being up to 602 requirements. The cpu is maxed out whenever the program runs. It's a 450 mhz processor (I'm embarrassed to admit it.) I'm dealing with a very fixed budget and almost all our computers are donated. The only good equipment I have is my main server. It has a 2.8 ghz processor and 1 G ram. Should I let that serve as the proxy server as well as the domain controller?

The decision to use the DC as a proxy is up to you... it isn't something terribly bad as Windows SBS server does it out of the box (ISA Server + Windows + etc...). Just note that should anything go wrong with the 602 software, it will take down your DC as well - which isn't a good thing.

What kind of connection do you have to the internet? 602 doesn't recommend using the proxy cache for anything above DSL (which is wierd...).

To be honest though, any software that keeps CPU usage high is suspect to me... especially a proxy server. What is the memory usage like while 602? I am thinking that the proxy server is getting bogged down with content filtering requests (usually the biggest hit in performance in an advanced proxy).

Another thing to check is your 602 proxy logs. A machine on your network could be infected with a trojan or virus that floods the proxy with requests. You will want to look for unusual web addresses and/or strange activity when no one browsing. In essence, you could be DoS'ing yourself if that is the case.

>>The only good equipment I have is my main server. It has a 2.8 ghz processor and 1 G ram. Should I let that serve as the proxy server as well as the domain controller? <<
Not necessarily, the PIII is fine processor wise but 500MB RAM will cause your internet to slow to basically a crawl. Upgrade the RAM to 2GB and if possible RAID the hard drives for performance and you'll notice a huge boost.